The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-01-13
NUMBER 81.
FIFTEEN mlNu-ss TO CALCUTTA.
Wonderful IRpr0yemcnt In the Trans
mission OF Cable Messages.

Wonderful improvements In the Trans
mission OF Cable Messages.
How soon win this reach Calcuttain
asked n white haired man as he slipped
ten word message through the receiving
wicket of the down town Office of q cable
company. a &@H#+# 1879 -t5f go
''Can't say exactly said the receiving
clerk. ITS ) O'Clock now and there's
work enough on hand to Keep the wires
red hot till midnight. Well gctit on by
2a. mn q SUD ,4g-Lz Isl
Elm sure you'll send it as soon as pos
sibic but that's not what ] mean. When
will it reach Calcutta. l ratiretl from
business many years ago ,a:id have for
COTTON some things about cable teiegraphy
with which / was once fainiliM.'' s
'.Why, if it leaves, here ut :. it'll get
there before $50 any way" 3, -.......-..
You are joking. young fellow. I re-
member well enough waiting u week for
n message from India or Hong Kong; no
doubt the world moves faster now"
II wonder what he would have
thought" said the clerk 20 reporter, ''if q
] told him that his message would be in
Calcutta in fifteen minutes from the time
1t left here. And yet that is not an ,iiitier )
estimate of the time, If no uni,aia.l iltlay
occurs in transferring from oHc 81 stem 10
another. The New York merchant of to-
day does not fully appreciate the wonder. :
ful systenlof submarine intpsconnntiIiioa- !
ton which is always at his service, but /,
old city men know well cnotigh the an
noyance and losses OIL European and
Asiatic business ca,ised through native
operators when messages had to he
handed from one government TO another
before they reached their destinations.
Twenty years ago eight days delay on,
Indian messages was quite common. Telc-
grams that had to pass through Turkey
were thrust aside at CoRsta itinople until
the ttlrbanetl operators had clearctl their,
lines and their work Of nu,ilation ofteu
cost the merchant his message anti tho
price of repeat when the receiver was
unable to translate the manglgl English
delivered 10 hin, IN Isumi,cy or Calcutta.
"Now all this ia changed British ami
American Operators are 10 I've fouhil in all
parts of the globe, much TO the surprise
Of outsiders, who wonder why natives
cGnnpt he trained TO take charge of cable
circuits. Our operators proceed to foreign,
stations and In the most unhealthy,
climate manfully TO their duty. Mutt
lated messages are M longer commnr.'
aud the merchants of this cuuntry reap tho
benefit. The other day was asked Why
half breed Spaniar,is could moi IT, Trained
to take appointments at s'ich places
as Vera Cruz and Panama, where Anglo
SaSons cannot live. Tic real SiIaniartt
does not make n model operator. Whit
the Mexican operator wou!:l I've like I wilt
not venture TO suggest. have heard OIL
gnoit authority that it Is nothing unusual
for a Spanish operator 10 give ". A.
(wait) while he snuntcrs 70 Il ncighhnriis
restaurant to indulge In Gigarette--re-
turning 10 go un with his work when lie
b,ts finished his refreshments. II Is no
wonder thai cable companies are glad ~
secure English and American operators TO
do their work, for they seldom forsukc
their posts while they have leg to stand
oil. New York Tribune Interview,